Zip_ME87

I agree, but what if it were a dowtown Akron arena, and LeBron put up funds for the naming rights? Would that help convince voters to put up some of the money with UoA and possibly others putting up some of the money as well? I don't know that LeBron would want to do so, but he might help out.

I would do it if I lived closer. It's a 40 minute drive one way for me. I really like travelling over there only for 'live' events, not televised. Sorry.

Thanks Dave. Happy to read that the promo is at least in the ABJ. I got the pop up the other day on GoZips.com. It no longer does that. EDIT: “We’re flying a lot of those guys in,” UA men’s basketball coach Keith Dambrot said. “It’s good for Jared and with my son [Robby] on the team, I’m going to support soccer like mad. It’s a great deal for Akron.” Thanks KD. One of the reasons why I have continually said I like KD and support him. [i just want a little more from him (NCAA Tourney win) and for him (new downtown arena).]

That's a good question skip-zip. Are potential fans only interested in meeting and talking to student athletes that have a real chance of going pro some day? The soccer players/families I listed only include those in the pros in that I've not found a way to maintain relationships with those who are not. I attend Crew games, so I see the Trapps and Barsons there and keep in touch. I've visitied DeAndre's family in Arizona and gone to preseason games there and have been to Seattle to see a Sounders game as well as seeing DeAndre and family in Columbus when they played there. Same is true for the Caldwells in Columbus and Foxboro. I try to stay in touch with Robbie Dershang, Eric Stevenson, Bryan Gallego, Dillon Serna and others through twitter, and want to do the same with Clint Caso, but would others have any interest? I don't know. I'm excited to go to the Zips Mens Basketball game vs Western Michigan tomorrow to see some of our former Mens Soccer players, many of whom now play professionally. As far as I can tell, this has not been well advertised by the Ath Dept, even on GoZips.com. If the UoA Ath Dept advertised on/in local media that MLS fans have the opportunity to meet MLS players who played at Akron (with $10 GA tickets), would that draw additional fans to tomorrow's game? We'll never know because I haven't seen this mentioned outside GoZips.com. If it has been, can someone point me to the place that it is advertised?

BTW, I've made some awesome friendships just by taking a few moments to talk with soccer players and their families at home and on the road. I stay in touch with the Trapps, Barsons, Caldwells, and Yedlins/Waltons. When I went to Portland last season, I saw Michael Nanchoff after the game, and he was really grateful to see me. He said they all love it when they see Zips fans/alum at their matches in Portland or on the road. Clint Caso, Adam Najem, and Victor Souto are several players with whom I hope to stay in touch in the future. I would say for me this is a huge highlight of being a Zips fan and Akron alumnus. There are less of us; so, I think it's easier to get to know our players and their families with a little effort just letting them know we care. Scott Caldwell's father once told me that his other kids played at other universities, and he never encountered people anywhere else who cared as much as at Akron.

1. Not just post ideas to ZN.o hoping that the AD and others read them, but e-mail or talk to the AD, coaches , and others with our ideas. I don't mean rant and rave at them. For example, tailgating seems to be an issue for a number of ZN.o members. How many have e-mailed the AD with the suggestion that Lot 9 should be established as a tailgate lot for anyone who wants to tailgate. If someone is not interested in tailgating, ask them if they would accept Lot 10 or Lot 8 or some other lot. 2. The Soccer team still celebrates wins with the Rowdies, whatever number of them show up. Perhaps we should let the other coaches know that this is important to the fans. KD once said he'd invite fans into the locker room if that would get them to come to games. If interaction with the students and fans helps get people to attend games, I would think any coach and player would take the time to interact. I stick around after soccer games to talk with the players. They appreciate that I support them and in return they're happy to talk with me or take a picture with me, etc. It's hard after a loss because I don't really know what to say to them. I just try to let them know how much I appreciate that they chose to play for Akron. Perhaps I should do this for football, too. Do the players take the time to talk with fans when they go back across to the Field House? Is it possible to catch the basketball players after games? With soccer, the players have to head back over the the endzone facility to shower & change. So, It's relatively easy to catch them quickly after a match, but it seems we'd have to wait for sometime to talk with the basketball and football players. At any rate, I do appreciate all of our student athletes. I think we should all take every opportunity we can just to let them know how much we appreciate and support them.

@MaxZip, I agree with you that "little things" can be done in the "short game". Some improvements to the JAR and some entertainment added to the Basketball game experience. If, as someone said, IMG holding the entertainent back from happening, then why do we have IMG? I haven't seen an obvious increase in ticket sales since they've become involved. What are they doing for us? Someone enlighten me, please, if you can. I can't justify a new UoA, on campus arena. However I do believe that Akron, Summit County, and UoA might justify a downtown arena. I believe the reason that it didn't get to the ballot last year is that everyone saw it as UoA's arena. The idea seemed to be thrown together with little thought of marketing it to the voters or of its uses beyond UoA athletics. I don't understand why some folks on ZN.o are so hell bent on, if there is a new arena, it's being on campus. Downtown Akron is barely off campus. Being able to host concerts, high school graduations, UoA Mens & Womens Basketball, and other activities for Akron and surrounding counties/communities seems like it could work. Perhaps if UoA could bring some level of funding to it through donations and fundraising, then maybe asking the voters for the rest might work. I, too, have personal gain in mind in that I prefer to go to Akron with my entertainment dollar rather than Cleveland as well as I'd like to get more enjoyment out of Akron basketball games with a more comfortable and better in-game experience.

The "tons of games" that Zips Basketball wins only mean something to die hard Zips' fans. It is not rocket science to understand that others only see the Zips for what they accomplish in the NCAA Tourney...winless and blown out by another mid-major, 88-42, the last time we were there. That game was over in the first 5 minutes. VCU had 50 at half and needed no points in the 2nd half to win. That's the way others remember the Zips. Sorry, but that is how it is no matter how rose-colored one's glasses may be. BTW, Soccer's attendance was down last season from the previous season, I believe. Likely it will drop again in 2015 given the result in the 2014 NCAA Tourney. I'm a die hard; so, I'll be there supporting our young team to learn and improve over 2014. I hope we don't begin accepting stagnation in that program.

You asked.

A colleague of mine who is a Dayton alum attended that game. He couldn't believe how small our gym was. Think Bigger. Imagine Bigger. Ponder Bigger. Contemplate Bigger. Lose Bigger. Bigger Excuses. More Excuses. Stagnate [at best]. (I don't think you can Stagnate Bigger, or we'd probably do that.) Found the money for Football and Soccer, but can only find excuses for Basketball. I'm just about done caring.

Totally agree. One of the reasons why the Zips can't consistently draw a crowd. When people show up for a game against a good opponent, and it's actually a good (close) game, the Zips pee down their leg and give it away. Should have beat MTSU this season. Had 4 chances at the end. For the final chance, the Zips couldn't even get a shot off within 11 seconds or so.

Wil Trapp to January 2015 USMNT Camp http://columbuswired.net/wil-trapp-train-usmnt/

20+ win basketball seasons don't mean squat. People remember what a team did in the NCAA Tourney; not what they did during the regular season. I agree with the posters who have said that the administration is going to do what the administration is going to do and not listen to a bunch of posters on ZipsNation.org. However, anyone who thinks it doesn't come out of our pockets is WRONG. The last I checked UA is a state university and gets some of its funding from the State of Ohio to which many of us pay taxes. Also, whatever they put into facilities, they have to pick up out of our donations for scholarships. Some posters on this board are current students. Don't tell them it doesn't come out of their tuition and fees. I have no issue with putting some money into the JAR for the near term. However, if they eventually spend $38M on it, I'm done. I've watched uncaring ADs come and go and put funds into a football program that still has gone nowhere. If they were going to build Infocision and then give such little thought to the Head Coach, they should have shut down Akron Football and imploded the Rubber Bowl. They probably could have sold more tickets to that event than we draw in a football season. Those of you who can put up with the same stupidity year after year are welcome to it.

Sorry, but there is a difference between football and basketball and their respective facilities. I keep pushing for the downtown arena idea because it doesn't have to be just UA's venue. It could be used for much more, and UA wouldn't have to foot the entire bill. It is also possible to attract better teams to come play in a better arena. WVU played at the Wolstein Center. Akron could offer them part of the gate if we had a decent size gate to offer. I'd play tOSU twice at their place for once at ours, but not once at the Q. It's very shortsighted to focus only on Zips Basketball. I'd love to separate ourselves from the shortsightedness of those to our north. Morons in Cleveland had the opportunity to replace the mistake on the lake with an indoor football stadium, but shortsighted idiots prevailed and built an outdoor stadium on the same precious lake front property as the Depression-era former stadium. The stadium gets used a few times a year in addition to the Browns 10 games there. Had they built an indoor stadium, they could have hosted numerous events (Mens Final Four, potentially a Super Bowl like Detroit did, maybe a new Bowl game, other ...). Had they built it somewhere other than the lake front, they could have developed the lake front property like other cities with waterfronts have done.

Point was the 3x bump; not the actual numbers. Taking a crap team from a crap conference to a better conference is still crap. It might be even worse, like in the Crawford and Hipsher years, if the Zips can't even compete for the conference championship. Nobody gives a s%&t because the Zips haven't accomplished anything in football or basketball. In football, we went to one Bowl game, built a new stadium, and hired a know-nothing as head coach. Nice way to build excitement about your new facility...have absolutely the worst product possible on the field during its early seasons. TB really has his work cut out for him digging out of that hole. Getting blown out by 46 points by VCU in the NCAA Tourney last time we were there was a huge setback for basketball. Most fans only pay attention to March Madness. They don't give a s%&t about remember the teams you defeat in the regular season or the NIT. VCU had 50 points at the half. They could have scored ZERO (0) points in the 2nd half and still won. People, including alumni and students, are supposed to get excited just because the Zips were there. HaHaHa. Fat chance. A poopy post-season team in the MAC still stinks in a better conference; perhaps worse if that poopy team can never get an NCAA bid. As far as Can't State and blOU drawing bigger crowds for basketball than the Zips, look no further than their student sections proximity to the court and the fact that they have both made runs in the NCAA Tourney (the part of the season about which fans do give a s%&t). You don't have to be a genius to get it.

I used soccer crowds as an example of being able to draw crowds. Under Porter, soccer drew 3x or more than it did previously because of winning against top opponents. My point was that winning in football or basketball against good competition could have samilar results. As far as spending 70, 80, 90 ... milion, I said to fund it from multiple sources and market it differently. One problem with CSU's Wolstein Center (besides the fact that its design sucks) is the Q is just a few blocks away. There would be no such competition in Akron. As far as tOSU or WVU coming to a decent arena if we had one...drawing them for basketball is different than football. If Akron fans didn't fill our arena for a game vs tOSU, NEO tOSU fans would, for example. You're not going to get a football team that plays in front of 100k+ at home to come to our 25k+ stadium to play a team with no winning tradition. I don't get your MTSU comment. I know who the f MTSU is and that they are a good opponent. One MTSU (and perhaps a Marshall) does not make a good OoC schedule at the JAR or any type of interesting season for anyone other than die hard Zip fans.

blah blah blah blah blah You guys are so full of yourselves. A guilded turd (JAR) is still a turd (JAR) and stinks just as much as ever. Soccer is sooooo easy to draw crowds, big deal. eff u. If that was the case, where were the crowds during the Lolla years. The crowds came because Akron could defeat top teams and actually compete for something other than a weenie MAC Championship. Renovate the JAR all you want. WVU won't come there. tOSU won't come there. What "big" program are you going to get to come to the dump JAR? I convinced former alumni to give Zips Football a chance with the new Football Stadium. Problem was iCoach.They bought tickets for those 2 years and vowed not to return. I don't blame them. TB has done nothing yet to convince anyone to return from the abyss. His last name doesn't mean jack. Winning games, going to bowl games and winning them is what matters. Beating up on Blufton and Malone and winning 20+ games/season against little sisters of the poor and the MAC doesn't draw disinterested students and alumni. Go ahead, flush another $20M+ into guilding the turd JAR. Absolutely INSANE.

Caleb Porter proved that a winning Zips team could draw crowds. What got us a "big, giant, empty info" was hiring iCoach. He dug us a bigger hole than the one on which the Info sits. I agree that UA has to be careful with its funds, but putting millions into the JAR would be right up there with building it in the first place and hiring iCoach. The reason the downtown arena never made it to the ballot is folks tied it to UA and UA only. It needs to be marketed as an entertainment venue for Akron and Summit County and not tied to UA in marketing it. It needs to be an "aside" that Zips Mens Basketball will play there. If UA believes it can come up with $20M to put into the POS JAR, then offer those funds toward help with the downtown arena if the voters pass it. See if we could also get LeBron to throw in some funds to help out, and keep the taxpayer investment even lower.

Great Fall Semester https://twitter.com/ZipsCoachEmbick/status/545935643701178368 Please to hear our grades. The team had 18 players above a 3.0 gpa, 11 of those above a 3.5 gpa and 3 -4.0 gpa!! #morethangoodplayers

Perhaps it is speculation about player development, but it is not wild speculation and assumptions about KD's statements about the Zips being young and setting the goal to win the MAC and other such things. It's always something. There has to be a time when the goal is more than winning the MAC, and the coach actually pushes the players, staff. etc. to believe. I've talked to Keith Dambrot a number of times. I talked with Caleb Porter a number of times. I've talked with Jared Embick a number of times. I'd like to talk with Jodi Kest as well. The first thing I noticed about Caleb is that he said and believed he could do it when no one else believed. He set multiple goals for his team to stepwise get to the top goal. Jared and Keith are both good coaches, but I don't see the fire I did with Caleb. I'd like to understand Jodi better. I follow her twitter feed, and she tweets and retweets a lot of the things I've been trying to get at here. https://twitter.com/zipscoachkest just a few examples "It takes less time to do a thing right, than it does to explain why you did it wrong." - Henry Longfellow When a team/organization focuses on solutions instead of complaints their performance rises to a higher level. #nocomplainingrule Don't settle for "good enough." Good is the enemy of great. Tough teams aren't fooled by winning, they're able to clearly evaluate areas of improvement, and never lose sight of their standards. #Bilas If you think you are one of your teams top leaders/players you have to be receptive to being pushed & coached harder than others. –Tom Crean Every workout, every practice, and every game is a chance to improve. Take advantage. A good coach will tell you what you need to hear; not what you want to hear.

I gotcha. Sorry I misunderstood.

Agree to disagree, fine. But, I don't understand the "heavy-handed talk and threats" thing. Sorry, if I implied that I thought anyone should go to KD and tell him he should be fired if he doesn't win an NCAA Tournament game in x years or any other such threat. All that I've been trying to say is that I wish Zips fans would stop treading around like he's the diety of basketball. What's wrong with letting him know that we'd like to see more and a plan to get there. No one can guarantee that the Zips can get there, but always making excuses that we're too young, or this and that guarantees we'll never get there.

I completely disagree with you. A 10-year contract definitely alleviates pressure that most coaches feel. Couple that with a fan base who is comfortable with where the ZIps are and doesn't question their coach, and there's not a lot of motivation except self-ambition vs comfort. Even the most experienced person needs continuous learning, no matter the profession. That not being on a "high horse". As far as self-ambition vs comfort, it's completely up to your and my intepretation as to why KD has turned down other offers. $300k+/yr for 10 years for someone in their mid-50's who's been through some ups and downs seems like a great deal to me. No need for risk of any kind at this point. Leaves those of us who want more stuck however. No pain. No gain.

I really don't understand you're comment. Ada brought up some good points, and you make it sound like he wants KD fired. I didn't read that into it at all. Why make the comparison to the MAC? How about other successful mid-major programs who have advanced in the NCAA Tourney? Can someone please help me with the fascination of being the best or near the top of the MAC? That seems like a low goal to set. To DiG's point about wanting to discuss specifics. I'm only a casual basketball fan. I don't consider myself knowledgeable enough to pick out specific basketball coaching issues, nor am I interested in studying the recruiting/retainment of Zips Mens Basketball players. My main point is that KD makes a lot of excuses of why we shouldn't expect more. We're in the MAC. We're young. Other teams in the MAC aren't improving to bring up the calibre of the league. yada yada yada. He continually sets the bar low, trying to keep the heat from the fans down. I absolutely agree with AdaZip "... my experience here has been that most of the fans act as if Dambrot can do no wrong and no one should ever question any thing he does." I don't want KD fired, but I would like him to feel some "heat" from the fans, especially those dedicated fans who have attended many more Zips Mens Basketball games than I have. I love the Zips above all other teams, pro or college, and would like to see more from the program. However, those who have hung in there the longest deserve to see more. It can be done but not by doing the same things over and again and just expecting it to happen.

Can't have an intelligent discussion about wanting more from our current coach/program...professional development, like in any profession.